Apparatus for discharging the contents of septic or settling tanks.



v S. P. MILLER. APPARATUSFOR msomeme THE GONTENTS or SEPTIC 0RSETTLINGTANKS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2a, 1908.

Patented Sept. 29, 1908.

- zsHI-iETB-SHEET 3Q fif- I s. P. MILLER. APPARATUS FOR DISGHARGINGTHECONTENTS OF SEPTIC 0B. SETTLING TANKS.

APPLIOATION FILED APE.25, 1908. I

Patented Sept. 29, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1n: uonms PETERS co-, WASHINGTON, o. c

- To all whom it may concern:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL FISHER MILLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR DISGI-IARGING THE CONTENTS OF SEPTIC OR SETTLING- TANKS.

Be it known that I, SAMUEL FISHER MIL- LER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatusfor Discharging the Contents of Septic or Settling Tanks and the Like;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanyin drawings,and the letters of reference mar ed thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for controlling theflow of liquid from a septic or settling tank of a sewage purifyingsystem, and from other tanks, and

refers more specifically to means for intermittently withdrawingrelatively large volumes of a predetermined uantity of sewage or otherliquid from suc tank or tanks with a small loss of'head,

Theinvention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is herein shown as used in connection with a sewagepurifyin system and is arranged for intermittent y. with' drawing liquidsewage from the septic or settling tank of said system and dischargingthe liquid sewage upon a contact or filter bed for further treatment.Said improvementsare adapted for use in such systems either where theliquid sewage is discharged from the septic or settling tank directlyupon the contact or filter beds, or is discharged into a distributingchamber from which it is distributed to a number of contact or filterbeds.

The invention is herein shown as applied to that type of sewagepurifying systems wherein a distributing chamber is employed whichcommunicates with a plurality of contact beds, and wherein dischargedevices are located between the distributing chamber and contact bedsand are automatically controlled by the rise of the liquid sewage in thecontact beds during the charging periods thereof.

As shown in the drawings :Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of aportion of a septic or settling tank, a distributing chamber and acontact bed of a sewagepurifying system, illustrating the application ofmy invention thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig.3. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the distributing chamber and contact bedsillus- Specification 01 Letters Patent.

Application filed April 25, 1908. Serial No. 429,254.

Patented Sept. 29, 1908.

trating more particularly one ,of the discharge devices of thedistributing chamber and its controlling mechanism.

As shownin the drawings, 10 designates the septic or settling tank and11 the dis tributing chamber located at one side thereof and separatedtherefrom by a wall 12.

14 designates a contact bed located at one side of the distributinchamber and separated therefrom by a Wall 15 which is rovided with anopening 17 through which t 1e liquid contents of the chamber aredischarged upon the contact bed. The said distributing chamber isprovided with an air-locked discharge device, designated as a whole by17", through which the liquid sewage is discharged from the distributingchamber to the contact bed; the operation of said discharge device beingcontrolled by the level of the liquid in the contact bed to which liquidis supplied by said device, and an associated contact bed, in the samegeneral manner as set forth in the prior atent to Adams No. 648,325,-dated April 24t ,190() It will be understood that said distributingchamber is provided with a number of discharge devices equal to that ofthe contact beds and that the sewage is dischar ed through said devicesupon the contact eds in a predetermined rotative order, as set forth insaid prior Adams patent.

The discharge device 17 embraces essentially an inverted U-shapedconduit having an intake end 18, an outlet end 19 and a horizontalconnecting art 20. Said horizontal portion of the discharge deviceextends through a wall '21 which divides the main portion of thedistributing chamber from a smaller chamber 22 into which the devicedischarges and which communicates directly, through the dischargeopening 17, with the contact bed. The inlet and the outlet ends 18 and19 of the discharge device are normally submerged and sealed by-theliquid contained in the distributing chamber and the smaller chamber 22,respectively. Connected with each discharge device are two pressuretransmitting pipes. 24 and 25, the former of which communicates with aclownwardly o ening bell 26 located in the contact bed whic is filledthrough said discharge device, and'the latter of which is ada ted tocommunicate with a like dome or be 27 located in an adjacent contactbed; each contact bed being provided with two bells 26 and 27. Theoperation of a plurality of discharge devices arranged as described forcontrolling the passage of fluid alternately to the several contact bedsis essentially the same as that described in the aforesaid Adams patent.

v The liquid sewage is supplied from the septic or settling tank to thedistributing chamber through the medium of an overhead feed device orsiphon 30 which withdraws the liquid fromthe settling or septic tanknear the surface thereof, the said feed device or siphon withdrawingfrom the tank 10 in each operation of the device a predetermined volumeof liquid. suflicient to fill the contact bed 14. Said feed device islocated in and extends through an opening in the wall 12 near the top ofthe septic or settling tank. It comprises a substantially horizontalintake end 31 which opens into the septic or settling tank. and avertical outlet end 32 which is located within the distributing chamber.The outlet end of said device is submerged in and sealed by a body ofliquid maintained at a fixed level in a sump or well 33, which, asherein shown, is located within the distributing chamber and is formed.between the wall 12 and a vertical wall 34 which rises from the floor orbottom of the distributing chamber and extends to a height above thelevel of the outlet end of said feed device. The said siphon or feeddevice may enter the distributing chamber at any convenient or preferredpoint to feed the liquid sewage thereto, and the sump or well 33 may bemade of any convenient dimensions or capacity. The inlet end of the feeddevice is provided with a depending lip 35, the distance between whichand the bottom wall of said inlet end determines the capacity' of thefeed device. At the junction of the horizontal and vertical parts of thefeed device is formed an invert or weir 37 which is located above thelevel of the lower margin of the depending lip 35, whereby whentheliquid in the septic or settling tank rises above the level of said weirthe inlet end of said feed device is sealed against the escape of airtherefrom. The conduit of the feed device is horizontally elongated, asmore clearly indicated in Fig. 2, thereby providing for the passage of arelatively large volume of liquid therethrough in a short period oftime. Said feed device is provided with a trapped vent pipe, comprisinga vertical member 38 which communi cates at its upper end with theinterior of the feed device and a short vertical member 39 which is openat its upper end to the atmos phere and communicates at its lower endwith the pipe 38 by means of a transverse fitting 40. The trappedportion of said pipe is filled with liquid which constitutes a seal toprevent the escape of air from the feed device. The trapped vent pipehas a less depth of seal than the feed device, whereby said feed deviceis brought into operation under considerably less head than if the airfrom the feed device were blown or forced through the seal at itsdischarge end. Thus when drawing from a tank of large area a large.volume of liquid may be discharged from the tank with a comparativelysmall loss of head.

Assuming the sump or well 33 to be filled with liquid and the vent pipesealed, the operation of the apparatus is as follows: The liquid sewagein the septic or settling tank rises beyond the level of the intake endof the feed device without, however, flowing therethrough to thedistributing chaanher In reason of the fact that before the liquidreaches a level to flow over the invert or weir 37 both ends of the feeddevice are sealed, and the said device is therefore air-locked. Theliquid continues to rise in the septic or settling tank until the headtherein is sullicicnt to force the seal of the vent pipe of said feeddevice, whereupon. the feed device is vented and a flow of liquidestablished therethrough to the distributing chamber. Such flowcontinues until the liquid level in the septic or settling tank fallsbelow the depending lip 35 at the intake end of the feed device,whereupon air is admitted to the feed device and the flow of the liquidtherethrmigh arrested. During the beginning of the flow of the liquidthrough the feed device, such flow is effected by gravity. After theliquid level in the septic tank has fallen below the level of the wcir37 the action of the feed device is that of a siphon, which actioncontinues tl'iroughout the remaining portion of the operation of thefeed device.

When my invention is embodied in a s \'stem such as here illustrated,the discharge devices 17 in the distributingchamber are so controlledthat one of said discharge devices is in condition to permit the flow ofliquid tl'ierethrough at each intermittent discharge of liquid from theseptic or settling tank to the distributing chamber, so that the liquidfed to the distributing chamber passes at once to one of the contactbeds of the plant. The dose or charge of liquid sewage so transferredfrom the septic or settling tank to a contact bed during eachintermittent period of flow of the sewage equals to the volume of sewagein the septic or settling ta k between the maximum and minimum levelstherein and the volume of liquid which flows into the septic or settlingtank during the operation of the feed device. discharge of sewage fromthe septic or sets tling tank, through the distributing chamber, uponone of the contact beds takes place the flow of sewage through the feeddevice to the distributing chamber is not resumed until the level of thesewage in the septic or seftliag tank has again reached a height tofurnish a head to force or blow the seal of the vent pipe of said feeddevice. With this consfructiim and arrangement described, therefore, the

After each intermittent L flfl . broadly claimed, but saidsubject-matter is contact beds are filled by a relatively large flow ofliquid during a short period of time, and there intervenes between suchintermit tent periods of flow substantial periods of rest during whichno flow takes place from the septic or settling tank to the distributingchamber.

The construction herein shown is characterized by the dipping of thedischarge end of the feed device in a maintained body of liquidcontained in a sump, whereby the discharge end of said device ispermanently sealed. So far as this feature of my invention is concerned,other forms of discharging devices may be employed to control the flowof liquid from the distributing chamber, if such a distributing chamberbe employed, or the liquid may pass at once from said sump to a contactor filter bed or other place for the disposal of the liquid.

The general arrangement of the overhead siphon arranged tointermittently discharge the liquid at the surface of the body of liquidcontained in the septic or settlin tank and to be sealed by the liquidin the c amber into which said siphon discharges, is not herein claimedin my 00- ending application filed of even date herewitli, Serial No.429,253.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination with a septic or settlingtank, of an overhead siphon feed device for intermittently withdrawingsurface liquid from a body of liquid in said tank, and a well or sumpcontaining a. maintained body of liquid into which the outlet end ofsaid feed device dips and by which the feed device is sealed.

2. The combination with a septic or settling tank, of an overhead siphonfeed device for intermittently withdrawing surface liquid from a body ofliquid in said tank, a well or sump containing a maintained body ofliquid into which the outlet end of said feed device dips and by whichthe feed device is sealed, and an automatic venting device controlled bythe liquid head in said tank for venting said feed device.

3. The combination with a septic or settling tank, of an overhead siphonfeed device for intermittently withdrawing surface liquid from a body ofliquid in said tank, a well or sump containing a maintained body ofliquid into which the outlet end of said feed device dips and by whichthe feed device is sealed, and a trapped vent pipe communicating withthe interlor of the feed device and having a less depth of seal thanthat of the feed device, for controlling the operation of the latter.

4. The combination with a septic or settling tank and a distributingchamber having means for controlling the discharge of liquid therefrom,of an overhead siphon feed device for intermittently withdrawing surfaceliquid from a body of liquid in said tank, a well or sump containing amaintained body of liquid which overflows into said distributingchamber, said feed device discharging through said sump and being sealedat its outer end by the liquid therein, and an automatic venting devicecontrolled by the liquid head in said tank for venting said feed device,said vent device being operated by a less head than required to forcethe seal of the feed device.

5. In a sewage purifying system, the combination with a se tic orsettling tank and a distributing cham er provided with means forcontrolling the discharge of the contents thereof upon a contact orfilter bed, of a feed device for intermittently feeding the liquidsewage from said tank to said distributing chamber, provided with anoutlet end which is submerged in a maintained body of liquid containedin a sump or well in said distributing chamber.

6. In a sewage purifying system, the combination with a septic orsettling tank and a distributing chamber provided with means forcontrolling the discharge of the contents thereof upon a contact orfilter bed, of an overhead feed device for intermittently feeding theliquid sewage from the surface of the liquid in said tank to saiddistributing chamber, provided with an intake end which opens into saidtank and with an outlet end which is submerged in and sealed by amaintained body of liquid contained in a sump or well in saiddistributing chamber, said feed device being provided between saidintake and out- 100 let ends with a weir located above the level of thehighest part of said intake end.

7. In a sewage purifying system, the combination with a septic orsettling tank and a distributing chamber provided with means, 105 forcontrolling the discharge of the contents thereof upon a contact orfilter bed, of an overhead feed device for intermittently feeding theliquid sewage from the surface of the 'liquid in said tank to saiddistributing chamber, provided with an intake end which opens into saidtank and with an outlet end which is submerged in and sealed by amaintained body of liquid contained in a sump or well in saiddistributing chamber, said feed device being provided between saidintake and outlet ends with a weir located above the level of thehighest part of said intake end, and a sealed vent pipe communicatingwith said feed device and having a depth of seal less than that of thefeed device.

8 In a sewage purifying system, the combination with a septic orsettling tank, a distributing chamber, contact beds and means controlledby the rise of liquid in said contact beds for discharging liquid sewagefrom the distributing chamber to the contact beds, of means forintermittently feeding the liquid sewage from said tank to saiddistributing chamber.

9. In a sewage purifying system, the combination with a septic orsettling tank, a distributing chamber, contact beds and means controlledby the rise of liquid in said contact beds for discharging liquid sewagefrom the distributing chamber to the contact beds, of an overhead siphondevice for intermittently feeding the liquid sewage from said tank tothe distributing chamber.

10. In a sewage purifying system the combination with a septic orsettling tank, a distributing chamber, contact beds and means controlledby the rise of liquid in said contact beds-for discharging liquid sewagefrom the distributing chamber to the contact beds,

